POLICE PRACTICES DEFENSE COUNSEL SERVICES & INSURANCE COVERAGE DEFENSE COUNSEL SERVICES

The City of East Orange, New Jersey, is soliciting Qualification Statements from interested firms to provide professional legal services for both Police Practices Defense Counsel Services and Insurance Coverage Defense Counsel Services. The core scope of work for Police Practices Defense Counsel includes litigation and defense representation for police officers facing legal actions arising from their employment duties, covering claims under the Tort Claims Act, CEPA, LAD, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983 actions, contract disputes, and challenges to government actions. For Insurance Coverage Defense Counsel, the City seeks expertise in negotiating insurance contract terms, advising on rights and obligations, acting as legal representative for claims, presenting claims, negotiating recoveries, and pursuing claims through litigation, mediation, arbitration, or other adversarial proceedings. These services will be provided on an "as needed" basis, with coordination through the City's Third Party Insurance Administrator (T.P.A.), and successful respondents will be compensated at an hourly rate of $125.00 for both categories of service, as approved by resolution of the East Orange City Council. Contractor qualifications require respondents to demonstrate professional, financial, and administrative capabilities, as well as a proven record of litigation experience across Federal, Superior, Appellate, and Workers’ Compensation courts. Key personnel and attorneys assigned to the City must have relevant experience and provide resumes. Firms must confirm appropriate federal and state licenses to perform legal activities and disclose business organization details, including principals with 10% or more ownership. Mandatory administrative requirements include submitting an executive summary, an executed Letter of Qualification, and an executed Letter of Intent. Professional malpractice insurance with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per claim and $3,000,000 aggregate per policy period is required, and any judgments for professional malpractice within the last three years, or bankruptcy/reorganization proceedings within the last ten years, must be disclosed. Additionally, respondents must comply with N.J.S.A. 10:5-33 et seq. (Affirmative Action), N.J.S.A. 52:32-44 (Business Registration), and N.J.S.A. 52:25-24.2 (Disclosure of Ownership) as part of the fair and open process under New Jersey's Pay-to-Play Law. Qualification Statements must be received by the City of East Orange no later than 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, November 17, 2022. Submissions must be either mailed or hand-delivered to Racquel Ferguson, Office of Procurement, East Orange City Hall, 44 City Hall Plaza, East Orange, New Jersey 07018. Facsimile or email submissions will not be accepted. A separate qualification statement is required for each of the two legal service categories if applying for both. Each submission package must include one unbound original, four copies, and one compact disk (CD) set, along with a comprehensive list of required forms, including Business Entity Disclosure, Non-Collusion Affidavit, Disclosure of Ownership, Insurance Requirement Acknowledgement, EEO/Affirmative Action Compliance, and a New Jersey Business Registration Certificate. Detailed RFQ packets can be downloaded from www.eastorange-nj.gov, or picked up in person for a non-refundable fee of $25.00 per packet, payable to the City of East Orange.